Jan 29th, '15, 23:27
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Suggestion on cordless electric kettle

by armormaniac » Jan 29th, '15, 23:27

I've been using an all plastic kettle for a while and decided to upgrade. I recently got a Ovente KG83W 1.5L Glass Electric Kettle. It was nice and all except that for the most part the water I heated in it makes my tea pretty much tasteless. (Not sure how that works)

Can anyone suggest a good cordless kettle with no water to plastic contact for under $100?
I'm learning to tell the temperature of water by looking at the water as it heats up, so the digital temperature control isn't 100% necessary. It would more or less be a luxury addition.

Thank you guys for any suggestion :)

Jan 30th, '15, 01:25
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Re: Suggestion on cordless electric kettle

by BW85 » Jan 30th, '15, 01:25

Bonavita kettles

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Jan 30th, '15, 08:07
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Re: Suggestion on cordless electric kettle

by futurebird » Jan 30th, '15, 08:07

BW85 wrote:Bonavita kettles
+1

Jan 30th, '15, 08:13
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Re: Suggestion on cordless electric kettle

by drinking_teas » Jan 30th, '15, 08:13

futurebird wrote:
BW85 wrote:Bonavita kettles
+1
+2

Jan 30th, '15, 09:11
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Re: Suggestion on cordless electric kettle

by armormaniac » Jan 30th, '15, 09:11

Any particular model? And has anyone used this one?

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003KYSLNQ/ref ... B008YE3RNG

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Jan 30th, '15, 09:24
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Re: Suggestion on cordless electric kettle

by _woods » Jan 30th, '15, 09:24

Variable gooseneck,

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005YR0F40/re ... Yub0P1EY31

I couldn't be happier with mine.

Jan 30th, '15, 12:09
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Re: Suggestion on cordless electric kettle

by impromptuandy » Jan 30th, '15, 12:09

The Bonavita is great. I used the non-variable one for several years. But if the water heated in the glass kettle makes your tea tasteless, it sounds like you need to change/experiment with different waters? Certainly a stainless steel kettle isn't going to improve the taste of your water.

You didn't have this problem with the plastic kettle?

Jan 30th, '15, 20:49
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Re: Suggestion on cordless electric kettle

by armormaniac » Jan 30th, '15, 20:49

impromptuandy wrote:The Bonavita is great. I used the non-variable one for several years. But if the water heated in the glass kettle makes your tea tasteless, it sounds like you need to change/experiment with different waters? Certainly a stainless steel kettle isn't going to improve the taste of your water.

You didn't have this problem with the plastic kettle?
I was surprised too! I could actually taste my tea and it tasted really good with that plastic kettle.

The only thing that changed was the kettle, I know all my tea didn't go bad in the same day and i'm using the exact same water.

Granted it's from the tap but because we have a private well we don't get all the chlorine and stuff from city water.

Jan 31st, '15, 01:44
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Re: Suggestion on cordless electric kettle

by theredbaron » Jan 31st, '15, 01:44

armormaniac wrote:
impromptuandy wrote:The Bonavita is great. I used the non-variable one for several years. But if the water heated in the glass kettle makes your tea tasteless, it sounds like you need to change/experiment with different waters? Certainly a stainless steel kettle isn't going to improve the taste of your water.

You didn't have this problem with the plastic kettle?
I was surprised too! I could actually taste my tea and it tasted really good with that plastic kettle.

The only thing that changed was the kettle, I know all my tea didn't go bad in the same day and i'm using the exact same water.

Granted it's from the tap but because we have a private well we don't get all the chlorine and stuff from city water.

Chlorine is not the only thing that makes water unsuitable for tea. If your water is too hard then it is also unsuitable for tea.

Jan 31st, '15, 15:35
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Re: Suggestion on cordless electric kettle

by armormaniac » Jan 31st, '15, 15:35

theredbaron wrote:
armormaniac wrote:
impromptuandy wrote:The Bonavita is great. I used the non-variable one for several years. But if the water heated in the glass kettle makes your tea tasteless, it sounds like you need to change/experiment with different waters? Certainly a stainless steel kettle isn't going to improve the taste of your water.

You didn't have this problem with the plastic kettle?
I was surprised too! I could actually taste my tea and it tasted really good with that plastic kettle.

The only thing that changed was the kettle, I know all my tea didn't go bad in the same day and i'm using the exact same water.

Granted it's from the tap but because we have a private well we don't get all the chlorine and stuff from city water.

Chlorine is not the only thing that makes water unsuitable for tea. If your water is too hard then it is also unsuitable for tea.
What kind of water would be good for tea? I can't afford any kind of expensive spring water.

Jan 31st, '15, 20:39
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Re: Suggestion on cordless electric kettle

by impromptuandy » Jan 31st, '15, 20:39

armormaniac wrote:I was surprised too! I could actually taste my tea and it tasted really good with that plastic kettle.

The only thing that changed was the kettle, I know all my tea didn't go bad in the same day and i'm using the exact same water.

Granted it's from the tap but because we have a private well we don't get all the chlorine and stuff from city water.
That's interesting. The only reason I can think of for that is if scale had built up on the plastic kettle and improved the taste of the water. (Isn't that one of the ideas behind tetsubins? Maybe we should replace them all with plastic kettles. :) )

As far as the hardness of the water goes -- if you were getting good results before, I don't see how it could be an issue. You definitely need some minerals to make good tasting tea, especially for pu-erh/roasted oolongs. I use Crystal Geyser brand spring water with mainly pu-erh and yancha with very good results, and I regularly get some pretty heavy calcium buildup on my glass kettle. Greener things take well to water with less minerals (while this makes yancha in particular... unpalatable).

There are of course more factors that could've affected how your teas tasted. Maybe something you ate, or the weather, etc. You could've even gotten used to the plastic from the kettle, and your body doesn't "like" that it's gone.

Getting a bit off track though. Seems like an opportunity to experiment before getting a new kettle just yet. (Unless you've already returned the Ovente?) But the Bonavita is good.

Feb 2nd, '15, 10:30
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Re: Suggestion on cordless electric kettle

by armormaniac » Feb 2nd, '15, 10:30

impromptuandy wrote:
armormaniac wrote:I was surprised too! I could actually taste my tea and it tasted really good with that plastic kettle.

The only thing that changed was the kettle, I know all my tea didn't go bad in the same day and i'm using the exact same water.

Granted it's from the tap but because we have a private well we don't get all the chlorine and stuff from city water.
That's interesting. The only reason I can think of for that is if scale had built up on the plastic kettle and improved the taste of the water. (Isn't that one of the ideas behind tetsubins? Maybe we should replace them all with plastic kettles. :) )

As far as the hardness of the water goes -- if you were getting good results before, I don't see how it could be an issue. You definitely need some minerals to make good tasting tea, especially for pu-erh/roasted oolongs. I use Crystal Geyser brand spring water with mainly pu-erh and yancha with very good results, and I regularly get some pretty heavy calcium buildup on my glass kettle. Greener things take well to water with less minerals (while this makes yancha in particular... unpalatable).

There are of course more factors that could've affected how your teas tasted. Maybe something you ate, or the weather, etc. You could've even gotten used to the plastic from the kettle, and your body doesn't "like" that it's gone.

Getting a bit off track though. Seems like an opportunity to experiment before getting a new kettle just yet. (Unless you've already returned the Ovente?) But the Bonavita is good.
I never thought of those circumstances, I think I'll go ahead and keep the glass kettle. If I were to return it Amazon would only give me a fraction back.

You might be right about the plastic though, I might have gotten so used to the plastic taste that I don't really know what tea tastes like with no plastic. But I'll definitely experiment with some different water.

I hear filtered water is really good for most teas.

Feb 2nd, '15, 12:29
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Re: Suggestion on cordless electric kettle

by theredbaron » Feb 2nd, '15, 12:29

armormaniac wrote:
theredbaron wrote:
armormaniac wrote:
impromptuandy wrote:The Bonavita is great. I used the non-variable one for several years. But if the water heated in the glass kettle makes your tea tasteless, it sounds like you need to change/experiment with different waters? Certainly a stainless steel kettle isn't going to improve the taste of your water.

You didn't have this problem with the plastic kettle?
I was surprised too! I could actually taste my tea and it tasted really good with that plastic kettle.

The only thing that changed was the kettle, I know all my tea didn't go bad in the same day and i'm using the exact same water.

Granted it's from the tap but because we have a private well we don't get all the chlorine and stuff from city water.

Chlorine is not the only thing that makes water unsuitable for tea. If your water is too hard then it is also unsuitable for tea.
What kind of water would be good for tea? I can't afford any kind of expensive spring water.

It depends on what you can get in your area, but waters that are generally available and good are Volvic and Fiji. If you buy high quality teas, you also should use high quality water.

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Feb 2nd, '15, 13:51
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Re: Suggestion on cordless electric kettle

by wyardley » Feb 2nd, '15, 13:51

armormaniac wrote: What kind of water would be good for tea? I can't afford any kind of expensive spring water.
Given how much of tea is water, improving your water is actually a very cost effective way to improve your tea.

That said, investing in a good filter will probably be the next best thing to good mountain spring water.

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